Moments that Mattered

A dozen critical interludes in the history of high performance

Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines

We'll get some argument, sure. Some of you will wonder out loud, perhaps loudly, why we didn't include the first nine-second run in Super Stock, or the emergence of Pro Stock, or the growth of wings in NASCAR. They're all worth considering when you're putting together a list of moments that really counted, that had long-term consequences, in American performance.
The list is potentially endless, so we had to be a little arbitrary. While discussing some ideas for the 100th issue of HMM, we noted the racing history that's been in this magazine since Issue No. 1, in the form of images from the past narrated by both the photographers who captured them and the racers therein. Although not every muscle car turned into an absolute racing icon (just one Pontiac GTO raced competitively at NASCAR's top level, for instance, although David Pearson briefly drove it), the link between success on the track and in the showroom has been amply documented. Not only that, but we hope to show that said success flows in both directions.
So here's our list of what's counted, going back further than you might expect. And remember this: From the beginning until right now, racing of all kinds has made cars faster, safer, more efficient. Not only that, it's the most compelling motoring activity you can do or watch.

This article originally appeared in the January, 2012 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.